Sheriff attaches R7 million worth of assets at Walter Sisulu Municipality, DA to lay charges

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape on Friday said that it is laying criminal charges against the Acting Municipal Manager of Walter Sisulu Local Municipality, Thembinkosi Mawonga, for the "illegal" deduction of pension fund contributions from officials’ salaries without paying them over to the pension fund.

Walter Sisulu Local Municipality was established by the amalgamation of the then Gariep Local Municipality and Maletswai Local Municipality on 3 August 2016.

"The pension fund has obtained a court order against Walter Sisulu Municipality, which has seen R7 million in municipal assets attached by the Sheriff this week," said Matthee Nel, a DA Councillor at the municipality.

"While the amount attached from the Municipality is R7 million, the overall outstanding amount owed by the newly established municipality to the pension fund is a shocking R24 million."

Nel said that the Auditor General first identified that the pension fund contributions were being deducted from employees monthly, and not being paid over to the respective pension funds.

"This finding by the Auditor General effectively means money was being stolen by the Municipality, and it may point directly to corruption under Thembinkosi Mawonga.

"The SAPS and the Hawks must now investigate this multi-million rand fleecing of municipal employees pension funds," he said.